BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce wasn't holding back last night as she demanded to know whether Scotland's Secretary of Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, was "proud" of the country's deteriorating NHS. From the audience, a guest had put the SNP MP on the spot with the thorny question: "With an increasing number of Scots now paying for private health care, is Scotland's NHS dying before our eyes?"

Fiona then fiercely challenged Shirley-Anne as she made a none too favourable comparison between Scotland and England when it comes to NHS waiting times. "Waiting lists have fallen in England, only a little bit but they have fallen, [whereas] they have increased in Scotland over the same period," she exclaimed. "The number of people waiting to start treatment is far higher than the number in England and when it comes to cancer patients, a smaller proportion of cancer patients than ever before in Scotland are being treated within 62 days of referral."

Then she turned to the social justice minister and quizzed: "The SNP's been in power for 18 years - how do you defend that? Are you proud of that record, Shirley-Anne?"

She added ominously: "That's a heck of a challenge I've outlined just now!"

Shirley-Anne insisted that there had been improvements, stating that the Scottish government had exceeded last year's target of delivering 64,000 extra appointments and procedures, and had achieved 100,000 extra instead.

She acknowledged that her words would be "cold comfort" to those waiting for crucial cancer treatment and declared that she was "exceptionally sorry".

Adding that she "feels the responsibility very deeply", the minister concluded that she accepted the need for "change".

"I agree there's a need for change and the way we get it is by putting this SNP government out of office next year," shot back Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP bluntly, as the audience erupted into applause.

Other figures on last night's panel, which took place in St Andrews, Fife, were Scottish Conservative Party MP Andrew Bowie, Reform MP Thomas Kerr, who says he's "fighting for Glasgow" and broadcaster and activist Lesley Riddoch, who runs her own independent radio and podcast company, Feisty Ltd.

Tensions continued to run high throughout the show as the panel argued about benefit cuts and defence spending, but - just a day after headlines revealed that Scottish cancer treatment waiting times are now "the worst on record" - the NHS may have been the thorniest topic discussed.